Usman Khawaja reveals he played 88 Tests with rheumatoid arthritis

Usman Khawaja has revealed that he lived with rheumatoid arthritis through his entire 88-Test career for Australia, keeping the condition secret until now.

The batter was diagnosed at 22, while playing for New South Wales. He retired from international cricket after Australia’s Ashes win in January and has only now spoken about the illness.

The details

Khawaja has said that doctors struggled to find the cause of severe pain in his left knee, and that he feared he had a terminal illness before the diagnosis came. He kept the condition to himself for the rest of his playing days.

He plans to describe his health battle in his autobiography, Sabr, which is due for release soon.

Across his Test career Khawaja scored 6,229 runs with 16 centuries. He also scored two ODI hundreds for Australia.

The retirement

Khawaja announced his international retirement in early January, ahead of the fifth Ashes Test. At the time he cited racial stereotypes that he said he still faced.

What’s next for Australia

Australia are next in action in match 3 of their tour of South Africa, on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 2:00 PM IST. They then begin the Australia vs England White-Ball Series 2026 on Friday, 13 November at 9:00 AM IST, with the second match on Sunday, 15 November at 9:00 AM IST.